Because Fun Keeps You Young!

Menu

wood

I was leafing through a home dec magazine looking for something else, when this wall with an ombre mural in blue, turquoise and white caught my eye. It’s from the home of designer Petri Hiltula in Finland.

Sameli Rantanen / Avotakka magazine, April 2015.

Featured in the Avotakka magazine (April 2015), the wall was designed by Susanna Sivonen. The name of the design is Origami kasvoi taivaalle (‘an origami grew into the sky’). The mural replaces the headboard in the bedroom.

Sameli Rantanen / Avotakka magazine, April 2015.

Gorgeous. At places the effect almost looks cloud-like due to the shapes in the paint treatment. The wall looks especially good in contrast to the plain white bedding, the original, exposed square log wall and wide plank floors. I think the extra-wide floor moulding is unusual these days, too, which contributes to the charm. Kudos!

I love the sense of blue sky the mural creates; it’s especially nice at the end of winter. I’m hoping spring will come early this year!

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.

Arranging books by color is an old trick by now, but one that continues to look great. Here is just one of the latest examples I’ve found:

Anne Sage / Covenant House; via Design*Sponge.

This bookcase is a part of a previously unused space at Covenant House in Los Angeles, a non-profit youth homeless shelter, that designer Anne Sage helped transform into a quiet, calm room. And she definitely delivered – just look at a wider view of the same corner:

Anne Sage / Covenant House; via Design*Sponge.

I especially love the blue on the sectional and round ottomans – so restful. And the rainbow stripe on the bookcase keeps the otherwise mostly white corner from disappearing entirely.

Found via Design*Sponge; visit the article for more, including before and after photos.

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.

It’s from the home of Meg and Doug Van Lith and family in Phoenix, AZ.

I love wood and plants, and although the wood tones here are darker than what I prefer, the result creates such an inviting kitchen. Although ceiling-height tile backsplashes can feel cold and clinical, that’s not the case this time; the warm tones in the rest of the space counteract the backsplash. Also, the tile pattern carefully coordinates with the lighting over the island, and the open shelving and plants soften the strict black and white color scheme. Clearly Meg knows what she’s doing. It would be a pleasure to live in that house!

Also, I LOVE that they’re using their dining table for other everyday activities too, such as puzzle building. For me, a home isn’t a home if it’s too precious.

The industrial elements – metal, rivets, exposed pipes and brick – plus the patina of the wood and corrugated metal, combined with chunky leather sofas and a few large plants, deliver a certain old-world sentimentality. The result contains a subtle hint of steampunk while retaining modern comforts. Beautifully done! From the residential interiors photo collection by Scott Gabriel Morris at SGM Photography; found via Desire to Inspire.

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.

Jourdan Lawlor and Tobin Ludwig created a home in a teeny, tiny Manhattan apartment. It’s only an incredible 242 square feet or approx. 22.50 square meters. You can tell that the apartment is a small one from the photos. Every basic home function has a place, however, and that makes all the difference.

The living room sofa hides a Murphy bed:

Max Touhey via Curbed NY / Yahoo Homes.

Max Touhey via Curbed NY / Yahoo Homes.

The sofa / Murphy bed sits right next to the apartment door:

Max Touhey via Curbed NY / Yahoo Homes.

Past the sofa / bed, there is a fold-away dining area:

Max Touhey via Curbed NY / Yahoo Homes.

With the sofa / bed and the apartment door to the left, a look towards the surprisingly large (for the space) kitchen. Note the shelf with a sliver of a counter space along the wall in the right corner:

While I may have some qualms about the adaptation of The Song of Ice and Fire cycle for the screen, there’s no doubt that the production values are amazing. I am in awe of the costuming, lighting and set decorating departments especially. They do such gorgeous work!

Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, here’s a room re-do from season 1 of Game of Thrones: the entryway into Maester Pycelle’s room in King’s Landing.

Game of Thrones, Season 1, episode 10. HBO.

This corner of the room is seen in episode 10, and it’s where Maester Pycelle dons his official-old-dude posture. In the screencap above, the door is at the left, behind Pycelle’s back. There’s a wooden char in the lower right-hand corner and a mirror on the wall. The shelves are filled with small chests or boxes, jars, some candles, herbs in vases and other doodads.

Finding a chair similar enough was a challenge, just like the furniture in my Eddard Stark office re-do. You might find a replica by searching for x-frame (or x-form) chair, Dante chair, Savonarola chair or scissors chair. It’s much easier to find modern bookcases resembling Pycelle’s shelves, though, and I found an exact match for the mirror. Chests, wooden boxes, old bottles and vases are probably easiest to find in thrift and antique stores, but I’ve listed some online options below.

Rooigem is a Belgian interior decoration and antiques company headed by Jean-Philippe Demeyer. Rooigem House was built in the Early Middle Ages as a moated courtyard house just outside Bruges. After being restored, it’s now both a home and place of business for Mr. Demeyer.

There is an abundance of incredible spaces. While the past is unquestionably there, it’s not overwhelming. Neither is the present, which asserts itself in the strong colors and bold motifs.

Tudor front door:

Tudor door. Jean-Philippe Demeyer.

Entrance porch:

Jean-Philippe Demeyer.

The north room:

Jean-Philippe Demeyer.

The orangerie:

Jean-Philippe Demeyer.

The hall:

Jean-Philippe Demeyer.

What makes these rooms stand out is the care with which Mr. Demeyer fills – or, strictly speaking, doesn’t fill – the areas: there is a pleasing amount of unclaimed space, rather like an art gallery. Additional oomph comes from the consistent use of massive historical and modern furnishings, fearless combination of old and new and, of course, the colors.

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.

I’m excited that season 3 of the Game of Thrones is available on disc now! To celebrate, here’s a room re-do from season 1: the room in King’s Landing that Eddard Stark used as his office when he was King’s Hand.

Like all the GoT sets, the space is gorgeous. Unfortunately, the room doesn’t get much screen time, but some clear details emerge. The walls are mostly bare stucco (or the like) in a muted yellowish tone. There are no rugs, drapes or curtains. The doorway to the balcony is bare like the windows, and large planters with greenery are seen through the opening. Apart from the windows, light comes from candles on a multitude of metal candlesticks.

The furniture is ornate and made of golden brown or dark wood. A desk with inlay decoration around the edges and on its legs sits in front of the windows. Compared to the elaborate chair inlays, however, the desk is staid. There are papers, supplies and knick knacks on the desk. There are also two other chairs that don’t feature prominently: a visitor’s chair in front of the desk with what looks like turned, Renaissance-style wooden legs and a wooden arm chair to the side of the room.

The details of the back of Eddard’s chair, the edge of the desk and the floor candelabra can be briefly seen in episode 6…

Game of Thrones, Season 1, episode 6. HBO.

…while a wider view of the room, including the desk and a small glimpse of the chair legs, is visible in episode 7:

Game of Thrones, Season 1, episode 7. HBO.

The main problem with a re-do of Eddard’s office is furniture styles. Comparable pieces found today are almost exclusively antiques, which are not only hard to come by but expensive. My re-do is therefore approximate and includes some DIY elements.

Wall paint: Behr Premium Plus Ultra Beacon Yellow. There are also several other muted pale yellows that would work quite well.

Table with DIY-stenciled Indian-style inlay decorations around the edge and down the legs: Bishop double extension dining table, World Market, $700; Indian inlay furniture stencil kit by Kim Myles, Cutting Edge Stencils, $35. Large bone inlay desks are hard to find, and if you do find one, they tend to be expensive antiques. Painting small decorations on a modern dining table is a cheap alternative.

…I imagined a bedroom with a vibrant accent wall and luscious, chocolate-colored bamboo floor with a sheepskin rug:

Serving Suggestion for a Decorative Pillow Cover.

The accent wall is painted with concentric rectangles, separated with white lines, and a white-framed rectangular mirror rests in the center above the bed. White modern furniture is softened by the bedding, pillows and curtains in yellow and green tones. It’s a grownup version of this boy’s room, if you like: